Golden Temple in Punjab gets value added tax exemption

Chandigarh, July 16 (IANS) The holiest of Sikh shrines ‘Harmandar Sahib’ (Golden Temple) in Amritsar has been given value added tax (VAT) exemption by the Punjab government Wednesday. At its meeting here Wednesday, the Punjab cabinet decided to exempt VAT on all raw materials and consumables procured by or sold to the Sikh shrine.

The state government also lowered the VAT rate for energy efficient Compact Flourescent Lamps (CFLs) from 12.5 to 4 percent to encourage people to buy these.

The cabinet also decided to reduce VAT on ‘desi ghee’ (saturated fat) and sweetened flavoured milk from 12.5 to 4 percent to boost dairy industry in the state.